


Quarantine is Where the Heart Is

by Meatball42



Series: Rare Pairs [119]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Aftercare, Aftermath of sex pollen, Asexual Character, Caretaking, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dysphoria, Feeding, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Long-Term Relationship(s), M/M, Minor Bathing/Washing, Mixed Orientation Couple, Sex Pollen, Sick Tony, of a sort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-09-18 22:01:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20320201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meatball42/pseuds/Meatball42
Summary: The report says that their mission was interrupted by… something about leylines, portals, and the exo-biology of a planet similar enough to Earth to cause problems.If Rhodey wasn’t dealing with some biological problems of his own, it would be the most interesting thing he’s read in months.





	Quarantine is Where the Heart Is

**Author's Note:**

  * For [celtic7irish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/celtic7irish/gifts).

> Asexuality-relevant content warning in the end notes.

The quarantine rooms in Stark Tower are top of the line and full of the highest tech available. The cots are comfortable, the lighting imitates the time of day outside, and the regulation 65-degree air doesn’t have the tacky recycled feel of every other quarantine Rhodey’s ever been in. There’s no need to have cameras or windows or even regular check-ups, because the built-in AIs monitor everything and can alert medics if necessary.

But even the classiest of locked medical suites is still a sterile, semi-voluntary prison, and at the moment Rhodey would rather be pretty much anywhere else, including an active war zone. 

He tries to distract himself by reading over the debriefing packet that was handed to him by a SHIELD agent in full hazmat gear. The report says that their mission was interrupted by… something about leylines, portals, and the exo-biology of a planet similar enough to Earth to cause problems.

If Rhodey wasn’t dealing with some biological problems of his own, it would be the most interesting thing he’s read in months. As things are, he finds himself throwing the packet to the ground and getting up to pace the room.

Again. 

The movement helps, even if it draws attention to the feelings in his gut that he doesn’t want to deal with, the heaviness and prickling so intense that it’s almost pain. The heat that he instinctively knows how to dampen, if only even the thought of it didn’t make him break out in gooseflesh.

In the other corner of the room, Tony clearly isn’t having the same issues. The sounds of his overwhelmed gasps and wet, slapping flesh have been filling the room for the last few hours, on and off. More often on.

Rhodey tries not to think about it. And tries, and tries, and if he keeps trying, maybe he’ll make it through this without throwing up.

And of course, as he tries to focus on literally anything else, Tony’s current… affair comes to a climactic end.

Whoever didn’t think to stock the quarantine supply case with earplugs is getting their pay docked after this.

“Anything good in the briefing?” Tony asks a minute later. He’s still breathing heavily, but there’s a certain mix of lethargy and satisfaction in his voice that says it should be safe to look over.

And, it isn’t. Rhodey gets an unwelcome glimpse of Tony’s dusky red dick, his hand and stomach and chest splattered with come, before he startles and turns away.

“Probably,” he says shortly.

“Sorry,” Tony mutters. There’s some rustling and a wet smack that makes Rhodey shudder slightly.

He takes some supplies out of the quarantine supply box to distract himself. There are snacks, a basic first aid kit, a few current magazines. There are also several tubes of lubricant. Two boxes of condoms. Rhodey wonders who picked the sizes.

He’s only making it worse on himself, but after a minute Tony says, “All set.”

Rhodey sighs. He goes to sit on the chair next to Tony’s bed and looks closer at his long-time partner, now covered by a rumpled sheet.

Tony is flushed, bathed in sweat despite the cool air. He’s not so much laying on the bed as he is splayed out, like a doll thrown there by something much stronger than himself. He looks wrecked.

“You look like a wreck,” Rhodey tells him frankly.

Tony chuckles. “I feel like a wreck. Whatever this shit is, it’s making my joints tingle. I’m feeling things I don’t think humans are supposed to feel.”

Rhodey bites his lip to center himself before he focuses on the facts. “You probably are. Those portals came from somewhere outside our galaxy. Richards and his team are dealing with it now.”

“Jesus.” Tony wipes his forehead with the back of his hand. His arm flops back to the mattress bonelessly. Despite the situation they’re in, Tony still has a half smile on his face, and his eyes drift away for a moment.

Rhodey watches, feeling, like always, that he’s missing something.

“Here I thought it was magic powder,” Tony continues after the pause.

Rhodey tunes back in. “Pollen, according to that.” He nods at the abandoned briefing packet. “Glad we don’t live on that planet.”

Tony laughs heartily. “Can you imagine? It’d lend a whole different meaning to ‘spring fever.’”

Rhodey tries to force a smile, but it doesn’t really take, and Tony notices.

“Hey, I’m sorry. Again.” He reaches out a hand. Rhodey takes it, hoping it’s not sticky, and thankfully, it’s not. “I know this is harder on you than any of us. I swear I’m not trying to be an asshole.”

“Can’t help your natural personality.”

Tony flashes him a grin and squeezes his hand. “Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and take it out on me, I’m thick-skinned. How are you holding up?”

Rhodey allows himself to slump back in the seat. “Not too hot.”

Tony sits up, thankfully keeping himself covered with the sheet this time, and leans into Rhodey’s side. “What can I do?”

“You can’t solve everything, genius,” Rhodey tells him. He nudged Tony’s head with his own, gently. “Some things, you just gotta grin and bear it.”

Tony nudges him back. “Okay, but I also would do almost anything to make this less shitty for you. You want that tiramisu you like from the place down on Ninth? I’ll have it brought in. You want your own room? We can move you to the one on the end.”

“I don’t want a different room, Tony.”

“So that’s a yes on the tiramisu?” Tony produces a cell phone from nowhere Rhodey could see and began typing one-handed.

“No Tony, I just—” He stops himself, but Tony looks like a cat that just saw a twitch in the grass.

“Yeah? What do you want, sugarplum?”

With a sigh, Rhodey admits defeat. “Earplugs.”

Tony taps his phone a few times and tosses it behind him on the cot. “Okay then, we’ll get you earplugs. See? You don’t have to suffer through everything.”

Rhodey grumbles, but when Tony puckers his lips, he rolls his eyes and kisses him.

When an agent comes to deliver the earplugs, there’s a box of tiramisu alongside it.

  
  


With the earplugs, Rhodey manages to get a lot of work done on his tablet, even though he has to pile blankets over his lower body to try and confuse the distressing sensations. He peeks up periodically to check on Tony, and either immediately looks back at his work, or exchanges thumbs up and funny faces.

Finally, after God knows how long, Rhodey looks up and Tony is just watching him, flopped listlessly on the bed. His skin is gray-tinged and his eyes are dark.

Rhodey throws his tablet to the side and rushes over, pulling out the plugs as he goes. He falls to his knees next to the bed. “What’s the matter? Tony?”

“I’m okay,” whispers Tony. He tries to smile, but it’s weak. “I think it burned itself out.”

“Thank God,” Rhodey breathes. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Just tired.”

Rhodey brushes away some hair that’s been plastered to Tony’s forehead by sweat. “You look like a wreck,” he jokes.

Tony nods slightly into the pillow, his eyes glazing over.

Rhodey gets up and starts rearranging the room. He moves his own cot up against Tony’s and puts a table next to the bed so he can arrange their provisions.

When he’s finished, he arranges some pillows against the wall above Tony’s head. “Get ready,” he warns, tucking his hands under Tony’s arms.

When Tony groans his consent, Rhodey drags him into a seating position. Tony manages to keep himself from falling over, but it’s a close thing. Rhodey cracks open a Gatorade and helps stabilize it in Tony’s hand while he takes small sips. He tears open a pack of Oreos and hands them over one at a time, then repeats the process with a packet of Goldfish crackers. He eats a dry, pre-packaged sandwich in between helping Tony eat.

“Thanks for helping,” Tony says quietly, once all his snacks are gone. And then, because no matter what he hypocritically says to Rhodey, he’s bad at accepting help, too, he doesn’t let Rhodey reply before moving on. “You feeling any better?”

Rhodey takes stock of himself. The physical sensations have passed, thankfully. He still feels like climbing out of his skin whenever he thinks about it. “Mostly.”

Tony pats his knee compassionately.

They get Tony laid down again, and Rhodey wets a cloth with one of the water bottles. He uses it to wipe the sweat off Tony’s face and neck. Tony settles down, clearly exhausted, and lets Rhodey take care of him.

After a few minutes, his eyes still shut, Tony speaks quietly. “You’re not mad, are you? That I couldn’t ignore it like you did?”

Rhodey pauses, then puts down the cloth and strokes the hair at Tony’s temple with his fingers. “I’m not mad… as long as you’re not mad that you had to go through this alone.”

“What?” Tony opens his eyes and tries to glare. In his kitten-weak state, it looks more like a pout. “God no. I’m glad you  _ could _ ignore it and let me handle myself. No pun intended,” he says as an aside.

Rhodey rolls his eyes.

“I know you hate this and I wouldn’t ever want for you to be forced into it,” Tony finishes. He slumps back to the pillow, breathing hard from even that little exertion.

Rhodey can feel his heart in his throat. He lays down and wraps himself around Tony, kisses his cheek. Tony makes a weak attempt to turn toward him, so Rhodey scoops him up and pulls him into a heavy snuggle.

“I love you,” he whispers into Tony’s ear. “And there’s no one else I’d rather be stuck in a room with while they jacked off for four hours straight.”

Tony lets out a snort and Rhodey can feel him shaking in his arms. He reaches down to the floor, where he’d put the quarantine blankets, and unfolds a pair of them over Tony and himself.

He checks the time and sees that it’s past midnight. By tapping a panel on the wall by the cot, he turns off the lights.

“Get some rest, babe,” he tells Tony, settling behind him again. They’re pressed together from Rhodey’s chest against Tony’s back, all the way down to where Tony has wiggled a foot in between Rhodey’s shins.

“Not without you,” Tony murmurs. He grabs Rhodey’s thumb with his weak fingers and falls asleep just like that.

Rhodey laughs at him quietly, then tucks his face into Tony’s neck and lets himself drift off.

**Author's Note:**

> **Content warning:** A sex-repulsed asexual character is dosed with sex pollen and experiences physical dysphoria. He also is made uncomfortable by accidentally seeing his partner during and immediately after masturbation.


End file.
